Giannis Antetokounmpo reveals which Heat players caught his eye this summer

Giannis Antetokounmpo speaks with reporters at the 2026 Miami Heat Media Day. (Photo Credit: Surya Fernandez/HHH)

While he’s been with the Miami Heat for a few months, one could imagine Giannis Antetokounmpo is still getting used to his new teammates.

Of course, he’s had plenty of battles with the Heat from his time with the Milwaukee Bucks. And there is only one player — Bobby Portis, who was traded with him from Milwaukee — currently on the Heat that was a previous teammate of us.

During media day, the two-time MVP was asked which of his other teammates surprised him this summer that he may not have been expecting.

Giannis Antetokounmpo shouts out these two critical role players:

Antetokounmpo wasn’t shy shouting out Bam Adebayo. Perhaps no other NBA player respected the three-time All-Star more than the Heat’s newest superstar before arriving in the 305. But a couple of other key cogs caught Antetokounmpo’s eyes as well.

“I think Davion Mitchell was one of the guys (that surprised me),” Antetokounmpo sa i d. “Obviously, very hard worker. I think his voice carries weight around the team. You know he wants to be a leader.

“He wants to lead by example — a very good guy to have around your locker room and have him as a teammate.

If you follow any of his social media accounts, specifically his Instagram, it didn’t take long to notice Mitchell was at the forefront of many player-led workouts. He also traveled to Greece, Antetokounmpo’s native country, to work out and build chemistry with him.

Then, Giannis dropped perhaps the line of media day.

“The other guy is [Pelle Larsson],” he said. “Sorry for my language, but Pelle is f–king good. I didn’t know. I did not know. He works hard also, he has a great attitude and approach to the game.”

Giannis: "Pelle is effing good. I didn't know. I did not know."
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) September 28, 2026

Larsson experienced the exact opposite of a sophomore slump last year. And he has been tabbed by many as a breakout candidate after averaging 11.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game in 2025-26.

Giannis also shouted out Portis:

After spending his first five seasons across three different organizations, Portis signed with the Bucks ahead of the 2020-21 season. He helped Antetokounmpo win a championship his first season there, but also stayed true to Milwaukee throughout the ups-an-downs over the last half-decade.

As a result, Antetokounmpo was quick to shout out his longest-tenured teammate as another that fans should be familiar with.

“I feel like a lot of poeple that within the Miami Heat organization they probably surprised with [is Bobby Portis],” he said. “I see in the locker room that people are very surprised of how he works and how he is as a leader, but I knew. I’ve been with him for six years. He had one of the best offseasons in his career.”

Portis, entering his 12th season, averaged 13.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game last season. He figures to be the Heat’s backup 5 behind Adebayo, but could also fill in at the 4 with him as a stretch big who can screen and rebound.

For his career, Portis has posted averaged of 12.1 points and 7.1 rebounds across 22.9 minutes, shooting 47.9 percent from the floor and 39.3 percent from 3-point range. He shot a gaudy 45.6 percent from beyond the arc last year on 4.4 attempts, his most since 2021-22 (4.7 3PA), marking the second time he’s shot better than 41 percent from distance.

What Portis can bring to the Heat’s frontcourt is stability and positional versatility, as can Larsson. Mitchell’s role as a ballhandler and point-of-attack defender is more fixed, even though that has no bearing on how important he is as a role player.

What are your thoughts on Antetokounmpo’s comments? Let us know in the comments!